Crewe: Let's take the kicking, re-group and move on

Mike Ion Tue May 20, 2008 at 08:26:33 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

Polly Toynbee's piece in today's Guardian provides a cogent and stark assessment of where we are as a party and why. It looks as though we are going to take a kicking in Crewe, not because of the 'toff' campaign attacks, not because the Tories and Cameron connect with voters but because the electorate want to give us a bloody nose. They are angry with us, disillusioned with our rhetoric and keen to send us a message.

The summer will offer a period of reflection. For me the areas that we need to urgently address are as follows:

Style and substance - we need to be careful that we don't dismiss one at the expense of the other. Good policies badly presented and badly articulated are as useless and as ineffective as poor policies that have been spun positively.


Trust and confidence - who on Labour's front bench can inspire trust and and come across as fully paid members of the human race? Answer - Alan Johnson and Hilary Benn for starters.


'If you are not on offence you are on defence' - we must get back on the attack and create clear dividing lines between ourselves and our opponents. Education policy is an obvious place to start.


I am not ashamed to be in the Labour party and I am proud of what we have achieved since 1997 but I am also acutely aware that we cannot constantly keep talking about these achievement. Looking to the past has much to recommend it, living in the past nothing at all.





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Crewe: Let's take the kicking, re-group and move on | 7 comments (7 topical)

Re: Crewe: (#1)

by e10rifles on Tue May 20, 2008 at 02:05:45 PM GMT

I'm ashamed of being in the Labour Party when I read about this sort of thing: http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=2336

Lunacy.


Re: Crewe: (#2)

by rwendland on Tue May 20, 2008 at 04:35:33 PM GMT

Wonder what Gwyneth would have thought about "My Mum taught me about principles, about beliefs, she taught me to always stand up for what‘s right. ... I want the police to harass yobs, get in their faces."


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Re: Crewe: (#3)

by TRUSSMAN5 on Tue May 20, 2008 at 05:28:00 PM GMT

Well I guess it depends what you mean by regrouping.  I lost my seat on Macclesfield Town Ward on May 1st and I was surprised at the hostility that was shown to me on the doors.  Whether we like it or not alot of our core vote doesn't think Labour represents them anymore and we have two years to change that.

Let's face it we were smashed at the Local Elections, beaten in London and likely to lose Crewe but there are no signs of a reshuffle and just the usual "we'll listen" mantra we've heard for the last four years.

Believe it or not the people of Crewe have lots of concerns from financial to other serious issues and to go on the Toff thing basically say's it all about what is wrong with the party at the moment.


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Re: Crewe: (#7)

by AngryVoter on Wed May 21, 2008 at 05:58:03 PM GMT

I think it may need to go further than that. I live in Swadlincote, a town where the council has gone "Blue" for the first time. Even during Maggie it only went to N.O.C.

The interesting thing is, nobody's really looked back with any longing to the Labour dominated council. Not yet anyhow.

I think it may be that Labour needs to go back to it's core vote to at least reduce the oncoming pain, otherwise you could be looking at a near total wipeout across the country come a GE. Especially if the C&N goes "Blue washout" [Tory council, Tory MP]. That's the 165th seat on the Blue's target list! If the rot is potentially that bad with the electorate the bells and whistles from the present labour party need replacing and fast. 


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Re: Crewe: Let's take the kicking (#4)

by jkitleft on Tue May 20, 2008 at 07:30:18 PM GMT

I do love Polly Toynbee. She can combine the stark facts of what this government has done to make the country better, and still hold legitemate criticisms against them. Contrary to the image of a 'latte liberal' who dismisses that anyone less than middle class, except for the yobs, exist (this is a recruiting slogan for the BNP), Toynbee goes out and tests the government's statistics for herself, by going on to the estates, and going into the factories. But, she has come a long way from her SDP days, and points out the areas where Labour can be more progressive.

The 10p tax rate, may be our Poll tax. Even after Iraq, our core vote were not preparing a mutiny. Many, including those in Crewe gritted their teeth and voted for Labour. But the only way we can win the next election is re-engaging with our core vote. Without them, we have nothing. It's no use wooing a third of floating voters, when your core vote has collapsed. On May 1st you saw hundreds in front of cameras saying "I've voted Labour all my life, but....". You're seeing it now in Crewe. This isn't simply old cranks saying kids have no respect, or there are too many Poles. If we think that is the problem, we are doomed. No, it's because many think that the poor aren't cared about any more.


Re: Crewe: Let's take the kicking (#5)

by RedRooster on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:02:13 AM GMT

It is certainly useless to court floating voters if your core vote has collapsed.  It is also pretty useless having a core vote if you haven't got enough floating voters to have a majority.

Can we get out of this zero-sum way of thinking please? 


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Re: Crewe: Let's take the kicking (#6)

by jkitleft on Wed May 21, 2008 at 05:43:22 PM GMT

Good point.


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Crewe: Let's take the kicking, re-group and move on | 7 comments (7 topical)